


Pay It Forward

by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)



Series: As the Morning and the Night [10]
Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: 3 Sentence Ficathon, 3 Sentence Fiction, Aftermath, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Double Drabble, Gen, Genderswap, Golden Age (Narnia), Hopeful Ending, Post-The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prompt Fic, Sieges, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23177083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edenfalling/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Culmer
Summary: The end of a siege is bitter, filthy work.
Series: As the Morning and the Night [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/131379
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Pay It Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Written 2/2/20 for [ernest](https://ernest.dreamwidth.org), in response to the prompt: [Narnia, girl!Edmund, smoke and blades](https://rthstewart.dreamwidth.org/156816.html?thread=6566800#cmt6566800).

The end of a siege is bitter, filthy work, no matter how hard one tries to hold to honor and treat one's enemies with respect -- and Edith tries, both to stop Mary and Stephen from watching her with the shadow of old alienation behind their eyes, and to keep the soldiers under her command from needing to look back on their actions either with horror, or, worse, with rationalizations that will twist their hearts to stone as sure as Jadis once petrified their bodies.

She leads her company through the wreckage of the crude wooden fort, a torn strip of gold and scarlet surcoat wrapped around her face to filter out smoke and sparks from the fires, until she spots a spruce dryad in the colors of the White Army lying crumpled in the ashes; while her squire stands guard, Edith kneels to run her sword through the still-breathing ruin of the dryad's chest, then lifts the new-sprouted seedling from between her wooden ribs to carry away and plant in more auspicious soil.

Edith can't conjure miraculous redemption from before the dawn of time, but mercy, at least, is within her power; and so she grants it where she can.


End file.
